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Feb 28, 2013 at 7:43 AMFeb 28, 2013 at 7:46 AM

The Herald-Dispatch couldn’t be more pleased to announce that we have filled our sports writer position. Chris Flores joined our team on Monday, Feb. 25 and will be covering both St. Mary’s and Sleepy Eye Public School sports, as well as a wide array of other sporting events in and around the Sleepy Eye area.

Terri MelheimEditorTwitter: @TerriNews2Email: news2@sleepyeyenews.com

The Herald-Dispatch couldn’t be more pleased to announce that we have filled our sports writer position. Chris Flores joined our team on Monday, Feb. 25 and will be covering both St. Mary’s and Sleepy Eye Public School sports, as well as a wide array of other sporting events in and around the Sleepy Eye area.

We’re excited to add Chris to our staff. He brings us experience as a sports writer at the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, the daily paper in Eau Claire, Wisc., where he wrote for both high school and college sports.

Chris graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire in May of 2012, with a bachelors degree in Broadcast Journalism.

Not only does Chris have a passion to write sports, his experiences and participation in the sports arena varies widely. He has played baseball, soccer and basketball when he was younger and played on the varsity tennis team all four years of his high school career.

Chris has also dabbled in the semi-pro baseball scene for over two years while working for the Eau Claire Express baseball team, a team that is a member of the Northwoods League, the same league that the Mankato Moon Dogs are a part of.

When Chris interviewed for the position back in January, he was excited about the opportunity to not only cover sports, but also be an active participant in the many sports leagues that Sleepy Eye has to offer.

Chris takes pleasure in staying active and in his free time enjoys disc golfing, mountain biking and playing tennis.

When asked, Chris will say he was raised in Wisconsin. However he does have Minnesota roots. He was born in Waconia and then lived in Hutchinson until age five when his family relocated to Eau Claire. He also has a maternal grandmother living in Owatonna.

After Chris interviewed and accepted the sports writing position he dropped in several weeks before his scheduled start date on a mission to find housing in Sleepy Eye. With him he brought his mother and his girlfriend, Krystal.

Chris and Krystal have been dating for over five years and together recently purchased a pure bred golden retriever puppy they call Pearl.

Krystal will be graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire with a degree in math education. When she stopped down with Chris in early February she said she was excited that Sleepy Eye had not one, but three schools. She said she will be looking for a middle or high school math teaching positions in the area soon after graduation.

One sentiment that has continued to resonate with Chris is the beauty of our community.

When I took him on a short tour of our town during the interview process he was impressed with the amount and quality of our parks, ball fields, the ice arena and the lake, just to name a few.

Chris is exited to be a part of our staff and we are equally over-joyed to bring him on board. We acknowledge that the St. Mary’s sports teams have not received the coverage they have deserved.

Now that Chris has joined our staff, we are confident that he will provide our paper with local sports coverage that is not only entertaining and informative, but will cover a wide range of sporting activities in our area. Chris is a welcome addition to our staff and our community and we are sure you will agree.

In my opinion, one of the best things about being a small-town community reporter is the chance to meet new faces and explore new places.

My own experience as a new reporter in Sleepy Eye a year-and-a-half ago has been fantastic and I’m absolutely, 100 percent certain that Chris will feel the same!

If you see Chris at local sporting events or out in the community, take a moment to introduce yourself and get to know him!

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